Maryland Gov. Wes Moore took a walk along Georgia Avenue in Wheaton Wednesday afternoon, getting a firsthand look at the perils that pedestrians face every day.

Drivers sped down the six-lane highway that runs between the Wheaton Metro station, a mall, and other retail destinations. Pedestrians describe walking along the road as uncomfortable and unsafe.

“I saw people going way too fast,” Moore said. “People have to slow down. There are consequences to this reckless driving.

“Slow down, because there are consequences to it. People need to follow the laws.”

Montgomery County Councilmember Natali Fani-González, who represents the district and invited Moore, says it’s an area where pedestrians like immigrants and low-income service workers are often overlooked.

“Georgia Avenue is one of the most dangerous roads in the state,” she said. “Cars are driving fast because this avenue was designed in a way for cars to go fast without thinking that people live here, work here, and they’re trying to move around from one place to the next without getting killed.”

Five people have been killed and more than 50 seriously injured in the area since 2015.

“We are serious about making this happen. These points right here,” Moore said pointing at a map of traffic fatalities, “this is why we’re here.  This document keeps us all up at night.

“It is not fair. It is not right. And we have to act on this.”

Moore walked from Regina’s restaurant to the local VFW where he met veterans. But he noted the Wheaton area has lots of immigrants, and those communities have been told in the past to wait for change.

“We have to make sure that when we say ‘leave no one behind’ when we say that we want to create communities and create an environment where everybody is seen and heard and respected, that means communities like Wheaton. That means communities and districts all throughout Montgomery County,” he said. “That means making sure that all people have the basic right to movement and access in a way that is safe. And so that’s why we’re here. And that’s why we want people to know that we’re prioritizing this.”

Advocates want to see the highway turned into a smaller, slower boulevard with bus lanes and bike lanes and fewer car lanes. The county is studying the idea and looking at a number of solutions like buffered sidewalks that have space in between the street, more crosswalks, putting utilities underground, reducing lane sizes, and more.

The county estimates revamping the almost mile-long stretch from Veirs Mill Road to the Wheaton Library could take $5-10 million for planning and about $75-100 million to build.

But often the county has little control over its most dangerous roads. The Maryland Department of Transportation, which is in charge of the road since it’s a state highway, is starting discussions on next steps.

Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld says the state has done a number of small changes in the short term, including reducing the speed limit to 25 mph in some areas. Drivers were not following that direction on Wednesday.

“I know,” Wiedefeld said when a reporter pointed out that drivers weren’t following the law. “That’s a whole different issue, but I mean, you have to start chipping away at these issues until you do something, you know, very large.”

What exactly that will be and when it will happen is to be determined. Kristy Daphnis, a volunteer with Montgomery County Families for Safe Streets, says she was glad to see the governor’s interest, but said she wants to see how fast the government can move.

“It takes an average of six years to install a traffic signal on (Georgia Avenue), so my hopes are tempered,” she wrote on Twitter. “He can start by immediately installing a sidewalk on (Viers Mill Road) between Pendleton-Schoolhouse and Georgia Avenue.”

In the meantime, Montgomery County is planning more enforcement. Wiedefeld said they are also adding leading pedestrian interval, which adds time on the crosswalk before a light turns green. That allows pedestrians to get further out into the intersection and be better seen by drivers who may be turning. Wiedefeld said it is a complicated stretch of road with several intersections, driveways into parking lots, and telephone or electric wires, sewers, and other infrastructure needs.

“That work takes a lot of effort and a lot of dollars and a lot of coordination,” he said. “You also got to balance the needs of the traveling public, the businesses that are dependent on (cars). Yes, they will (have people get to their business) by walking, biking, and transit, but they also are relying on cars. So you’re trying to reach that balance.”

But Fani-Gonzalez said she and the community felt heard. Moore heard from high school students, business owners, veterans, and more on his trip.

“Everybody came together because we all want the same thing,” she said. “We want to have a community that is vibrant, that is beautiful, that is safe to walk, bike, roll, and drive.”